Yesterday, Thursday 22 September, Prince Carl Philip opened the international design conference era 05 in Gothenburg on the west coast. Here is the opening speech he held and a picture, both from the website of the Royal Court.

Speech by H.R.H. Prince Carl Philip at the opening ceremony for era05

I am very happy to be able to be here today. That I could take a day off from my studies in graphic design in Stockholm.

I am not the only one in my family that has an interest in design and the arts. Many generations back there has always been someone with a special interest. I am thinking of my great grand-father´s father, Prince Eugen, who was a well-known painter at the turn of the last century.

Also one of my grand-father´s brothers, Sigvard Bernadotte, was an excellent industrial designer with an international reputation.

I have not come that far. I am still a student and I am here today to learn. Many of the world´s leading experts in industrial design attend this Congress and I am looking forward very much to hear their presentations.

I wish to congratulate Göteborg for having been chosen as one of the three cities where this Congress is held at the same time. Next week the Congress will end in Copenhagen. For Sweden to host an international event of this kind during its Design Year is a great honor and challenge.

Therefore I would like to wish everyone good luck. Design is important for our everyday life. It makes a lot of things easier, more beautiful and more fun. As you all know, and as I have been taught, everything is about design. That´s why it is so important.

During the period 18-21 May, the students who are finishing their education at the Forsbergs School for Graphic Design held their examination/degree exhibition at the Royal Mews.

Prince Carl Philip had chosen to concentrate his examination task on the work with homeless carried out in the Saint Clara Parish in Stockholm. He spent three weeks taking black and white photographs of the human interactions between the employees of the church and homeless and ex addicts.

- Because of who I am it can be difficult. Some thought it was okay, others didn’t recognize me and some didn’t want to take part at all, Prince Carl Philip said to Metro.

Next for Prince Carl Philip is his summer holiday and work with the portfolio that the examination students create instead of receiving grades. The Prince wants to continue working with design in the future, but he hasn’t applied to any job yet.

- Of course I have a dream job, but that’s nothing I intend on telling now. One can dream.

Whether his title is a short cut to work or not is hard to say, is the Prince’s view.- It’s probably mixed, both positive and negative.

The Prince’s photographs, placed in four boxes, will be auctioned off benefiting the Saint Clara Church.

He's definitely a nice looking young man. Did he take a break off from school? 27 seems old to be graduating.

__________________"One thing we can do is make the choice to view the world in a healthy way. We can choose to see the world as safe with only moments of danger rather than seeing the world as dangerous with only moments of safety."

The first picture, of Carl Philip, is by Charles Hammarsten for the magazine. The second picture shows one of the Prince's own photographs for the exhibition.

It was mother, Queen Silvia, whom gave Prince Carl Philip the idea of paying attention to the Saint Klara church and the homeless people of Stockholm in his examination/degree work.

- Mother had visited Klara Church on the First Advent and become very moved by their work with exposed people, Prince Carl Philip tells when Svensk Damtidning meets him at the Royal Mews where the students at the Forsbergs School for Graphic Design held their examination/degree exhibition.

Prince Carl Philip spent three weeks interacting and taking photographs in the Saint Klara Church, and he receives praise from the priests and deacons of the parish whom came to the exhibition to give him flowers.

How does it feel now?- Right now it’s very good, but I guess the tiredness will come after the weekend when the exhibition is over and things have settled a little.

Last time the Prince was in the church to take pictures of the meeting between the church’s employees and the homeless was only a week before the exhibition.

How were you affected of being in that environment?- Only positively. Many people are afraid of the people that I have photographed, but one should remember that they are human beings with fantastic personalities. Many of them wanted to talk and really gave a lot of themselves. But some didn’t, and then it was important for me to take a step back.

What plans do you have now that this education is finished?- I can’t really say what I’m going to do. I do have some little plans, but they are nothing I want to discuss.

Maybe continue photographing?- Photographing is very fun, but I don’t want to devote myself to that alone. Maybe combine photo and design.

And from all the praise he has received from the church, here is what two of their staff had to say about it:

- It has been fantastic to have Prince Carl Philip in the church. He has fitted in very nicely in the environment and few have noticed that it has been him, but thought it has been a regular student. The way he has met these people with, with such humbleness, I have rarely seen anywhere else, says Deacon Assistant Viveca Bratt.
- Carl Philip has approached these people gently and lovingly. He has a warm heart and the photographs show that they have been taken with love, says Deacon Hans Härnberg.

Today the Royal Court has announced Prince Carl Philip's plans for this autumn. He is going to continue to study photo and photo editing, as an intern at the National Geographic magazine in Washington.

During the autumn, Prince Carl Philip is working together with the National Geographic photographer Mattias Klum, following him on a number of assignments around the world.

One of the projects is to make a short film for the National Geographic Television. Another is the "Expedition Linné", where Prince Carl Philip is working with the heads of this projects - journalist and procuder Folke Rydén and photographer Mattias Klum (as well as three scientists). They will film on seven continents, in the spirit of Carl von Linné. Commissioning this job is The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences' secretariat for the official celebrations of von Linné's 300th birthday anniversary in 2007.

The Royal Court points out that this will give the Prince a unique education in film and still picture production, where he will have both a producing, editing and assisting role.

To Göteborgs-Tidningen/Expressen, the Director of the Information and Press Department, Nina Eldh, says that Carl Philip will travel with them to three continents on the film maker's trip around the world.

anywhoo....any1 have any more info on his internship with national geographic?? when will he ben in the u.s.??

thanxz!!

__________________Every grl wants a man she can go to in her sweats, hair a mess, make up running down her face, eyes red from crying, and the first thing he says to her is...Baby Your Beautiful.....andmeansit.

Carl Philip was stoped by the US custom when he came to Miami airport from Venezuela. The prince had been in South America as a part of his work with the Linné documentary with Mattias Klum. He travelled alone and had no boduguards with him. The prince had forgotten his passport at the hotel so he was left behind in Venezuela for another day while the rest of the group left for USA.

Prince Carl Philip was questioned about what he was doing in the country because he did not have a working permit. The prince showed his diplomat passport and told them he was a member of the swedish royal family but the custom did not belive him. But after a while he was allowed in.
Nina Eldh at the royal court says "there was no drama in Miami at all. No further comments".